Ral GTPases contribute to regulation of cyclin D1 through activation of NF-κB

Ral GTPases have been implicated as mediators of Ras-induced signal transduction from observations that Ral-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factors associate with Ras and are activated by Ras. The cellular role of Ral family proteins is unclear, as is the contribution that Ral may make to Ras-dependent signaling. Here we show that expression of activated Ral in quiescent rodent fibroblasts is sufficient to induce activation of NF-κB-dependent gene expression and cyclin D1 transcription, two key convergence points for mitogenic and survival signaling. The regulation of cyclin D1 transcription by Ral is dependent on NF-κB activation and is mediated through an NF-κB binding site in the cyclin D1 promoter. Ral activation of these responses is likely through an as yet uncharacterized effector pathway, as we find activation of NF-κB and the cyclin D1 promoter by Ral is independent of association of Ral with active phospholipase D1 or Ral-binding protein 1, two proteins proposed to mediate Ral function in cells.